Editorial: DNR needs stable revenue

Wednesday

Jun 25, 2008 at 12:01 AMJun 25, 2008 at 11:32 PM

As Wildlife Prairie State Park celebrates its 30th year, Illinois lawmakers want to give the nature sanctuary near Peoria an anniversary present: $828,000 for park operations out of the state's general revenue fund.

As Wildlife Prairie State Park celebrates its 30th year, Illinois lawmakers want to give the nature sanctuary near Peoria an anniversary present: $828,000 for park operations out of the state's general revenue fund.

This line item, found in the 2009 appropriations bill lawmakers passed May 31, is a rebuke of Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who'd sought to change the way the state funds the park. Instead of general revenue, the governor wanted Wildlife Prairie to siphon its operations dollars off proposed "revenue initiatives" - aka fees - to be generated at other state facilities.

"I was raising a real big fuss about that," Peoria Rep. David Leitch said of Blagojevich's plans. Indeed, making Wildlife Prairie dependent on fees would have left it vulnerable if the Department of Natural Resources failed to raise enough revenue. The Legislature did the right thing by hitching the park to the general fund, which is a far more stable pot of money.

Still, the $828,000 isn't set in stone. It's but one piece of a budget over which the governor and legislative leaders are at odds. Lawmakers "may have funded the park, but their budget doesn't have enough revenue to cover the spending - in fact, their budget has a $2.1 billion shortfall," said Kelley Quinn, spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Management and Budget. Quinn did not indicate whether Blagojevich would let Wildlife Prairie's funding stand.

Nor would she specify whether the governor wants more changes in state parks funding. Already, his administration has stated its desire to make DNR less reliant on general revenue. The agency currently is seeking approval of a host of new fees or fee hikes: environmental regulatory fees paid by oil purchasers; consultation fees charged to municipalities for endangered species reviews; processing fees for floodway permits. This spring, with little advance notice, DNR jacked up camping and utility hookup fees at state parks, prompting grumbles from holiday campers. Non-resident deer hunting fees are set to increase, too, a DNR spokesman said.

In this challenging economy, absolutely it's important for Illinois to watch the bottom line. But the governor must be careful not to nickel-and-dime DNR patrons to the point that the public no longer wishes to use its public parks. That would defeat the purpose of having them. We trust that's not the intent.